How to find out what your Pokémon cards are worth
Identify the exact card and printing, judge its condition, and look up its market price: a step-by-step guide to valuing Pokémon cards.
A card’s value depends on four things: which card it is, which printing, what condition it’s in, and whether it’s been graded. Get those right and a price lookup takes seconds.
1. Find the exact card
Two cards with the same name can be worth very different amounts, so start with the details printed on the card:
- The set. Look for the set symbol, a small icon near the bottom of the card. Recent English cards also print a set code, like SSP for Surging Sparks.
- The collector number. Usually at the bottom left or right, like 238/191. The first number is the card’s number in the set, the second the size of the main set.
- The name. Some Pokémon have several cards in one set, so check the number too.
Then find the set in the list of every set (Japanese sets have their own list) and the card by its number. Each card page shows the card’s art, so you can compare it with yours.
2. Check the printing
Many cards come in more than one printing: normal, holo, reverse holo, 1st Edition, or special patterns like Poké Ball and Master Ball reverses. Each printing has its own price, and the difference can be large.
- A holo has a shiny picture of the Pokémon.
- A reverse holo is shiny everywhere except the picture.
- Some older cards carry a 1st Edition stamp at the lower left of the art.
Tilting the card under a light shows where the foil is. Card pages on Holofile list every printing of a card with its own price.
3. Judge the condition
Prices are usually quoted for Near Mint copies. A card with whitening on its edges, scratches, bends or creases is worth less. Collectors use these grades for ungraded (raw) cards:
- Near Mint (NM): looks unplayed, at most tiny flaws.
- Lightly Played (LP): minor wear, like light edge whitening.
- Moderately Played (MP): clear wear, but no major damage.
- Heavily Played (HP): heavy wear.
- Damaged (DM): creases, tears, water damage and the like.
Be honest with yourself here: most cards that have been handled or played are not Near Mint.
4. Look up the market price
A market price is an estimate of what a card sells for, based on recent sales. On a Holofile card page you’ll find the Near Mint price of each printing, prices for played conditions, graded prices where they exist, and how the price moved over the last 30 days.
Keep in mind:
- Market prices are estimates, not offers. A shop buying your card will usually pay less than market price, since it has to resell it.
- Prices move. Check the date a price is from, and see today’s biggest price movers for what’s changing fast.
- Very rare cards sell rarely, so their price can rest on few sales.
5. Graded cards
A card graded by PSA, CGC, BGS or another company is sealed in a plastic case (a slab) with a grade from 1 to 10. Graded cards have their own prices, and a high grade can be worth several times a raw copy. See raw vs graded cards for what the grades mean.
Value a whole collection
Looking up cards one by one gets slow. Holofile scans a card with your iPhone’s camera, finds the set, number and price, and keeps your whole collection valued at each copy’s own condition, updated every day. See Scan a card and Where prices come from.